Howaed selvage



(No Model.)

' H SELVAGE.

0m STOPPER.

No. 378,981; Patented Mar. 6, 1888.

w gw b N.- PETERS Mo-Lithognpher. Washington, D4 5.

- UNITED TATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOWVARD SELVAGE, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

CAN ST'OPPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 378,981, dated March 6, 1888.

Application filed June 22, 1887.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOWARD SELVAGE, of the city of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, and a citizen of the United States of America, have invented an Improved Oan-Stopper, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of the same, in which-- Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved stopper; and Fig. 2 is a view of the same applied to a can which is being used to fill a vessel with liquid from the can, said vessel being shown partly in section.

My improvement relates to a device to be used attached to cans and other vessels, especially such cans as are used for holding oil to be therefrom poured intolamps and oil-stoves; and it consists in a stopper provided with a tube so formed and arranged that when the nozzle of the can from which the liquid is to be poured is inserted into the vessel which is to be filled the end of said tube will also project into said vessel. The stopper closes the mouth of the can, and, as will be readily seen,

r can through said tube, and, under the wellknown law, atmospheric pressure will prevent the egress of more oil through the nozzle. thus insuring that the vessel being filled will not be overfiowed, which is the result aimed at by my invention; but of course the can selected should have a nozzle with a small orifice.

In the drawings, A represents an ordinary cork or stopper having an aperture through it in such direction that when inserted in the mouth E of a can or vessel such aperture will form a passage for air through the cork into the interior of the vessel; but I find that al* most no substance other than rubber is practically available for making these corks.

B is a tube, preferably of metal, inserted in Serial No. 242,092. (No model.)

or through or connected by a tight joint with the stopper A in any manner desired. I prefer to simplyinsertit in the stopper far enough to insure its remaining there and that a tight joint is formed between them. Said tube is bent, formed, or arranged, usually as shown,so that its outer end will, when the stopper is inserted in the vessel, approach the outer end of the nozzle of said vessel. Indeed, I find it a great advantage to arrange the nozzle and the stopper-tube so that they extend parallel and in contact for ashort distance from their ends, as they may then be more readily inserted in a small aperture, and there is no. danger of pouring the contents elsewhere than into the proper vessel. To insure this end, as well as its holding its proper position at any time, I find it preferable to make the stopper-tube of brass or such other material as when bent into the proper shape to cause its end to occupy the desired position relatively to the nozzle or spout it will retain that form.

C is the can. D is the delivery-nozzle. A stop or gage may be placed on the tube B, or on the nozzle D of the can 0, by which the depth to which the nozzle and tube or tube alone are allowed to penetrate the vessel F to be filled may be regulated, and thereby the height to which the liquid within said vessel may rise will also be regulated; but this is not necessary, as the desired endthe prevention of the overflow of the vessel being filled-is assured by merely inserting the open end of the tube into the said vessel to a depth below the level to which it is desired the liquid shall rise.

The special advantage of my device is that it is easily and cheaply made, can be applied to any ordinary can without alteration thereof, can be, of course, used with more than one can, and, indeed, can be used with cans even of different sizes or shapes, as the tube is usually of such material that it may be readily b'cnt to accommodate itself to the can to which it is desired to apply it, the necessary points being that the stopper shall tightly close the mouth of the can and the end of the tube shall be brought to a point where it may be inserted in the vessel to be filled and kept there while liquid is being poured therein from the can.

It will be noticed that the tube which I combine with the stopper is curved, and though this is not absolutely essential, still it is an advantage over having it straight from the stopper to its end, for this reason: when the vessel is filled, the oil rises above the extreme end of l 5 the stopper-tube, and when the can is again placed upright the oil which had adhered to the endof the tube will, if the tube be curved or angular, so that there is some point below the level of its open end and of the point where it enters the stopper, but between said two points, flow to said lower point, b, and by filling the tube at that point prevent the entrance of air to the can while it remains upright, thus to some extent preventing evapo- :5 ration.

XVitnesses:

W. FRANK SMITH, IRVIXG SELVAGE. 

